Big Apple comes Cailin..

Oscar nominated movie makes US debut  

- KATIE GALLAGHER

OSCAR-NOMINATED Irish film An Cailin Ciuin has made its US debut with a glitzy New York premiere.

The Irish-language film has been grabbing headlines worldwide following its success with nominations this season.

It will go on to make history next month as the first ever Irish language film to be up for an Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.

And kicking off the road to Tinseltown in style, the cast and crew stepped out in NYC on Wednesday night to launch its official US debut at The Whitby Hotel.

Writer/director Colm Bairead, producer Cleona Ni Chrualaoi and actors Catherine Clinch, Carrie Crowley and Andrew Bennett walked the red carpet before heading in for a special premiere showing and Q&A later on with guests, moderated by Mara Webster.

Speaking at the event, Minister of State for European Affairs, Peter Burke, said it was a "great honour" to be in New York for the occasion.

He said: "It is a great honour to be here this evening, as Ireland's Minister for European Affairs, for the premiere of this beautiful, poignant and thought-provoking film.

"As many of you know, this film is based on a story by one of Ireland's foremost writers, Claire Keegan, called Foster, which featured in the New Yorker in February 2010.